Michigan State Football Top 30 Players Countdown: No. 15
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One of the biggest needs for Michigan State this season is an improvement in its pass rush.
The Spartans were below mediocre in this department during both of Jonathan Smith’s seasons running the program. One player MSU will be seeking production from this season is Anelu Lafaele, who comes in at No. 15 on my ongoing “top 30 players” list for the coming fall.
Lafaele’s First Season at MSU
Lafaele is entering his second season with Michigan State and his third overall in college football. He began his career at Wisconsin, not playing a snap in 2024, before transferring to MSU the following offseason.
It was difficult not to notice Lafaele when he was on the field last fall. He made a big early impression during his collegiate debut against Western Michigan in Week 1 by getting around the edge and getting a strip-sack. Lafaele had another sack two weeks later against FCS Youngstown State.
His redshirt freshman season was cut short, though. Lafaele suffered a season-ending foot injury during the fifth game of the season at Nebraska. He wound up playing just a total of 68 defensive snaps across his five appearances last year.
A big reason why Lafaele didn’t play more is just that he struggles against the run, or at least Michigan State felt it had more options at rush end in those situations. Of his 68 snaps last season, Lafaele was either rushing the passer or in coverage for 60 of them.
Next Steps for Lafaele in 2026
Becoming a more every-down type of player would be a huge boost for Lafaele’s career and for the Spartans’ defense, but MSU did add some solid depth at rush end this offseason. For those who aren’t aware, rush end is sort of a hybrid linebacker-and-defensive end position in Joe Rossi’s system. It’s important enough that there is a dedicated position coach for it (Andrew Bindelglass).
Lafaele may still be in that “pass rush specialist” role this coming fall. The bulk of the snaps may end up going to N.C. State transfer Kenny Soares Jr. He will be a very reliable option against the run with his large amount of experience at linebacker. Soares made 80 tackles for the Wolfpack last season, which were the second-most on the team.
Michigan State is also bringing back Isaac Smith, who started all 12 games last year. Kekai Burnett is a bit of an under-the-radar candidate among the group of pass rushers, and SEMO transfer Trey Lisle makes himself an intriguing option with his 6’7”, 254-pound frame.
Lafaele has shown himself to potentially be the best overall pass-rusher on the team already. He would’ve almost certainly been the Spartans’ lone leading sack-getter had he remained healthy throughout the season, especially given that there was a three-way tie for that title in the end. Jordan Hall, Quindarius Dunnigan, and Jalen Thompson each had 2.5 sacks, just half a sack more than what Lafaele did in just over four full games.
The type of energy Lafaele brings is also a significant part of what makes him valuable. His motor is bound to be one of the highest on the team, and it is one of the main things that drew praise from the previous staff.
Getting back from that foot injury could be tough, though. Lafaele participated in spring ball, but he wasn't considered to be all the way back from it.
More on Lafaele’s Background
Lafaele started as a higher-tier 3-star recruit coming out of Farrington in Honolulu, Hawai’i. He picked Wisconsin over Arizona State and Hawai’i and was ranked 603rd overall in the class of 2024, including third among prospects from Hawai’i, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Lafaele did have an offer from Oregon State back in May 2022, when Smith’s staff — and defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa — was still in place with the Beavers. Lafaele didn’t officially visit Corvallis, but there might have been enough of a connection there that MSU seemed like a natural fit for him when he entered the portal with all four years of his eligibility left.
Pat Fitzgerald and the new staff in East Lansing, keeping Lafaele around, was a nice victory. Another thing that may have helped is Fitzgerald retaining Bindelglass on the new staff. Bindelglass was previously the assistant linebackers coach and has been promoted to the main position coach with the rush ends.
Lafaele’s larger amount of eligibility also makes him a big part of Michigan State’s future. He has at least three years of eligibility remaining, but there is a chance he still has all four. The NCAA is shifting to a new, age-based “5-in-5” system, but current athletes are getting grandfathered in and can use the old eligibility system if it is more beneficial to them.
Theoretically, Lafaele could still seek a medical waiver for the 2025 season. He appeared in five games, but he only got four full games of play out of his redshirt freshman season, and he only got about half the snaps he normally did that day against Nebraska. Four games is the old limit for a player to keep their redshirt, and Lafaele might have a case to have last fall not count toward his current eligibility.
Regardless, Lafaele is currently eligible all the way through the 2028 season. He’s still got plenty of time to keep improving, which isn’t always the case for people in the upper portion of a team’s roster. There also won’t be a huge amount of pressure on Lafaele this season, since he’ll largely be backing up Soares.
Other Top 30 Articles
No. 30, WR Samson Gash | No. 29, WR Charles Taplin | No. 28, S Devin Vaught | No. 27, KR Kenneth Williams | No. 26, OL Luka Vincic | No. 25, OL Rakeem Johnson | No. 24, CB Tyran Chappell | No. 23, DL Derrick Simmons | No. 22, TE Carson Gulker | No. 21, WR KK Smith
No. 20, DL Eli Coenen | No. 19, OL Nick Sharpe | No. 18, LB Caleb Wheatland | No. 17, RB Marvis Parrish | No. 16, DB Michael Richard
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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